A tribute.

Religion is a subject that many people don’t talk about for various reasons. For some people, religion and their beliefs are something that they consider sacred. For others, religion represents hurt because of bad past experiences. For me, I don’t believe in religion. I am a follower of the Lord and Son of GOD, Jesus Christ. I have seen many things that people do not believe in, and a few things that have expanded my mind. I have dealt with demon possessed people, I have seen and experienced miracles, I have been in “haunted” houses, heard growling in empty rooms, and have seen a demon. I don’t say these things to brag. I say them only to preface my blog. For the next few weeks, I promise to bring you things that you don’t believe in a way that is non-threatening and non-eccentric. Ladies and gentlemen welcome to “The Other Side.”

This week’s issue is not an issue at all! It is a tribute and a testimony. I will be graduating in nine days, and I feel the need to tell you all exactly how I’ve gotten to this point. It has not been an easy road, but it has been a blessed road. Believe me, GOD has been involved

Coming out of high school, I had a 3.3 GPA; a 1330 SAT, 4 years of track and football under my belt, and had served in numerous organizations and on panels. I thought I was going to someone’s college for free. Much to my displeasure, I ended up getting turned down for over 20 colleges. I got accepted to one, but I didn’t feel right about it. I had decided in my mind that I wasn’t college material…

Let me back up a few months. In October of my senior year (2007), my mother lost her battle with the many diseases that plagued her body throughout my childhood years. I grew up taking care of my mother and learning as much as I could from her (she was a K-6 teacher). We often spoke about a wide variety of topics. She was my best friend. When she died, I was torn to pieces. Without my mother, I felt like nothing in life mattered. This was all during my senior year of high school.

Back to the story. My mother died at a time when I was supposed to be focusing on making my run for a football scholarship and boosting my GPA.  By the time I struggled through graduation and getting turned down for 20 schools, I didn’t have any intention of doing anything good with my life. I considered joining a gang, selling drugs, and/or murder for a while. I was not in a good place mentally at all!

Not to make light of this very real situation, I want to get to the real reason I am telling you all this story. Broken and with no intentions of good, I decided to talk to this GOD thing I had heard my mother talk about. I grew up in church, but all I ever saw was people yell, holler, and dance! I thought GOD was real, but only for my mother. I thought she just believed in something to keep her sane. In the middle of the night, in the house I grew up in, on the floor of my bedroom with the door locked, knelt, a boy with nowhere else to turn. I remember it like it was yesterday. I started talking to what seemed like myself. I was desperate. I challenged this GOD thing. I cried to HIM! “If you are real, I want to try you out”, I yelled. I told HIM that “my mother had always put trust in you” I told HIM that “If HE was good enough for my mother, I would at least give HIM a shot.” My life would never be the same. I cried myself to sleep that night, thinking to myself that HE wasn’t real and he didn’t hear me. I remember waking up that next morning feeling a little better. This was impossible to me. After months of feeling horrible, I felt better!?  I asked HIM if HE had done that. In HIS own way, I got a yes. Over those next couple of months, I started to build a personal relationship with my LORD and Savior Jesus Christ and his father, GOD. With all of the fake I had seen in church, I told HIM that I didn’t want to be churchy, I didn’t want the titles or the offices, I didn’t want the phony church mannerisms or voice, all I wanted was a real relationship. I got more than I asked for!

GOD truly blesses HIS children. Let’s say this, when I prayed to ask GOD to put me in school, I not only got accepted into Frostburg, a check came in the mail to pay for my education, and that’s telling the watered down version of this story. I will be graduating on DEC 19, and I can truly say that GOD has more than taken care of my every want and need whilst I've been here.

Anyone who reads this: I stress to you: TALK TO GOD FOR YOURSELF! I didn’t need any fancy robe, water, or privilege to call out to HIM! He really does exist, and he really can help! HE WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU.

If you would like someone to pray for you or talk to you about anything, find me on FaceBook (Vince Morton Jr). I will.  

It has truly been a pleasure providing you all with engaging articles every week. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have.